Bioterrorism bill clears negotiators

WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators have reached agreement on a bioterrorism bill that would spend billions of dollars to stockpile vaccines and help states prepare for a biological disaster.

The bill, which is expected to come before the full House today, would also hire more border inspectors to protect food supplies and better regulate laboratories that work with deadly agents.

Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., called the measure a "strong bill" and said it was critical that Congress "renew our local, state and national public health systems to work in a more coordinated way."